Unraveling the Maritime Silk Road

China is deeply invested in cementing its position as a stakeholder in the Indian Ocean. Through a series of loans and investments, Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are creating partners reliant on their capital, aiming eventually to leverage dependency to compel alignment with China’s interests. A May 2018 Department of Defense report on China’s military power addressed the naval implications of China’s port investments in the Indian Ocean for the United States.[1] While China may not have access to an international network of bases to support military operations, they are creating areas of political space in which they are the dominant partner.

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